The Jacobs Haus

Built in 1913 in the style of a Bernese country estate, Jacobs Haus is home to the Jacobs Foundation and the Johann Jacobs Museum.

In 1984, Klaus J. Jacobs opened the Jacobs Suchard Museum at that site. It documented the history of the Jacobs coffee empire, founded in Bremen in 1895 under the name “Specialgeschäft in Caffee, Thee, Cacao, Chocoladen und Biscuits.”

The Jacobs Foundation was established at Jacobs Haus in 1989, with the mission of providing children and youth with opportunities for positive development, enabling them to become productive and responsible members of society.

Jacobs Suchard was sold to Philip Morris in 1990, and the museum’s holdings were transferred to the Jacobs Foundation. The museum was renamed the Johann Jacobs Museum in honor of the company’s founder.

After two years of renovations by the architectural firm of Miller & Maranta, Jacobs Haus opened its doors as a lively place for creative learning and dialogue. At that time the museum also shifted its focus, and today it is dedicated to shedding light on the complex history of global trade routes – with a particular emphasis on coffee and cocoa, but also including such basic commodities of modern life as oil, rubber, diamonds and cotton.

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